Polly Torian

Artist Statement

American, born, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 2004

Self-Flagellation, 2026
Video compilation, digital monitor, PLA, folding table, temporary voting booth.

Self-Flagellation reflects on the circulation of AI-generated content as a destabilizing force. The video abruptly cuts between artificial vulgarities posted by political figures, documentation of real atrocities, and popular memes. Situated within the structure of a voting booth, the work frames the digital environment as a political condition—where elections unfold within the same visual economy that persuades, and desensitizes us.

BFA Thesis Artworks

Bird of Prey, 2025
Flag post, halyard, PLA plastic, security cameras, fog horn, speaker, swivel clips, painted steel, flashing LED light, digitized bald eagle call
11’H x 1’W x 1’D

Bodies, 2025
Wood, paint
3’H x 27’W x 38â€D

Click on image to enlarge

Bird of Prey 2025 Flag post, halyard, PLA plastic, security cameras, fog horn, speaker, swivel clips, painted steel, flashing LED light, digitized bald eagle call. 11’H x 1’W x 1’D
Bird of Prey, 2025. Flag post, halyard, PLA plastic, security cameras, fog horn, speaker, swivel clips, painted steel, flashing LED light, digitized bald eagle call. 11’H x 1’W x 1’D
Bodies 2025 Wood, paint. 3’H x 27’W x 38”D